


Blood in Fire

by CobraOnTheCob



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: All except for Zuko and Katara are mentions, Angst, As usual the story isn't that great bc my writing is bad, F/M, Gore, Zutara Exchange 2019, sorry - Freeform, zutara exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 21:00:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18764131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobraOnTheCob/pseuds/CobraOnTheCob
Summary: When being Fire Lord doesn't cut it for Zuko when it comes to justice, he picks up his blades and becomes the Blue Spirit.The criminals fear him, but they fear his partner more.





	Blood in Fire

**Author's Note:**

> For whistlingwillows on Tumblr

He kills with his blades. It's fast, merciful, if you could call a death by blades merciful.

Her? She's a terrifying force of nature. He has seen many things that would haunt an ordinary man, but he was a vigilante. No ordinary person goes out at night and be an effective one-man police force.

When she first appeared two months ago, the Blue Spirit was skeptical of what she could do. She gained his trust a few days after her debut, when she provided a list of traffickers and their locations. She followed him to all the locations, and hung back as he slashed through multiple assailants. It was when at their final location, the Blue Spirit got a little careless and wasn't watching his back. One minute he was slashing at some guard, the next minute, he heard ragged breathing behind him and turned to see that the man in charge of the entire operation had a sword ready to strike. The Blue Spirit was confused on what stopped him, then he noticed the way the man's limbs were beginning to twist. The Blue Spirit watched in fascination and horror as his new partner forced the man to drop the sword and kneel at the Blue Spirit's feet. He interrogated the man, then he nodded to her, gesturing for her to do what she saw fit. With another contortion of her hands, she killed him with his own blood.

The Blue Spirit leaped to another rooftop and sat down there, waiting for her. He thought about her for a minute. When he first saw her in action, he wondered if it was Katara. But he knew that Katara was dead, killed two years ago when the New Ozai Society gathered to protest Zuko's proposal to tax the rich and to demilitarize the Fire Nation. 

The Puppet Master, as he called his partner, could not be Katara. It must have been someone else, as after the war ended, Katara went to help rebuild the Southern Water Tribe. As the Northern Water Tribe men trickled in, they brought their wives and daughters, where Katara insisted on training them. After a year, once the foundation was laid out and assurances that the Northern Water Tribe wouldn't try and take over their southern sister, Katara left for the Northern Water Tribe to fight for women's rights. When the Gaang met on Ember Island, Katara told them how she taught them combative waterbending, and if need be, bloodbending. Suki and Toph were nodding in approval, as was Sokka. Zuko and Aang were confused at first, but Katara explained that domestic violence was a crime that she was concerned with the most during her stay in the Northern Water Tribe, and because women had very little options on defending themselves, Katara made it her mission to not only to teach combative waterbending, but also taught them to use bloodbending to stop blows from happening. 

The Puppet Master seemed more content to holding opponents back rather than to kill them outright. He'd seen Katara use bloodbending to inflict pain before, and although Puppet Master killed on her first mission, she never did so again. 

Another strike against the theory of Katara being the Puppet Master: Once, her hood was knocked back, revealing black hair pulled into a bun. Although the Blue Spirit would probably never know how long her hair was, he knew that Katara's hair was not black.

The Blue Spirit finally got his revenge on the New Ozai Society once he and the Puppet Master caught them meeting with one of the largest and most feared gangs.

The gang's reign of terror came to the end under a storm of steel and fury.

The New Ozai Society was in shambles, but they were finally outed as a group out for Zuko's blood. Whispers of them still persisted, which is why he and the Puppet Master still continued crime fighting.

His thoughts were interrupted as the Puppet Master leaped to the roof. She passed him a scroll. He allowed a small chuckle, which quickly died as her masked face turned to his as if to say "Really? You're laughing about a scroll?" The Blue Spirit unrolled the scroll, most of it the usual, detailing the criminals and their locations. Once the Blue Spirit finished reading the scroll, he nodded, and the two set off for their first target.

Metal on metal as the Blue Spirit slashed through the thugs, barely hearing their cries of pain of him slashing at them and shock as the Puppet Master grabbed control of their blood, the song of a fight coursing through his head and emboldened him. The vigilante pair left the room and went into the next, men groaning in pain, some giving their last breaths. As they burst in, the gang leader stares at them in surprise before waving his lackeys to attack. The Blue Spirit and the Puppet Master take them down within minutes, the Blue Spirit holding his blade to the leader's neck while the Puppet Master makes sure that there is no one to attack them. 

"What do you want from me?" the leader asked. The Blue Spirit pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to him. The leader's eyes went wide as he read the demands on the paper. With a growl, he struck, knocking the blade out of his face and lunged at the Blue Spirit, a long knife in his hand, when he froze up, the Puppet Master had grabbed control of his body and was forcing him to his knees. She stalked forward, and the Blue Spirit strained to hear her whisper in the leader's ears.

"The Blue Spirit is not a patient spirit. Either tell us where the cargo is or you'll find something worse than two vigilantes showing up at your doorstep." Puppet Master's low and nearly deep whisper slipped into the leader's ears and his brow furrowed, as if weighing his options.

"And what is that worse fate entail?" the leader croaked out.

"Wouldn't you want to know," Puppet Master hissed, "Tell us where the cargo is."

"You think I'd be in here alone?" the leader asked. The Blue Spirit whirled around, but was too late. Multiple people sprang out of the dark hallways, two tackling him to the ground while five lunged for the Puppet Master. She reached out, and froze. The Blue Spirit wondered why, but noticed how small they were as he was knocked into the ground.

Agni no, not children, he couldn't...

"I knew it," the leader's voice cut in as one figure held a knife to the Blue Spirit's throat, "Everyone has a weakness, and yours is being unable to hurt a child, even if they have a knife to your throat. Heh. If you want your girl to get out alive, I suggest you unmask yourself and leave." Under the mask, the Blue Spirit's eyes widened as he turned his head slightly to see the figures backing away from the Puppet Master, blood oozing from her. She stared at him from behind the mask, as if to tell him not to give in. The Blue Spirit shook his head.

"I'll do what you ask," the Blue Spirit croaked slightly, "Just let her live." The children stepped away as the Blue Spirit sat up and undid his mask with shaking fingers. The leader gasped.

"Fire Lord Zuko! Oh, imagine how the people would react when they find out that their Fire Lord is running around the city beating up criminals! I can see the New Ozai Society really getting the fuel they need!"

"I did what you asked. Now let her go." Zuko snarled, but the leader barked a laugh.

"I know your partner can heal herself. I made sure these kids know how to chi block. She can still move, but she won't be able to heal. Not until it's too late." 

"I'm taking her, and there's nothing you can do about it," Zuko hissed. The leader smirked, which turned into a face of surprise as Zuko leapt forward, forming a fire dagger, and slashed open his throat. The man died as he crumpled to the floor. The children stepped back as Zuko turned to them.

"I'm sorry," he said, as he put his mask back on. He picked up the Puppet Master and sprinted out from where they came. He heard little footsteps behind him and turned, thinking they would attack, but they had no weapons in their hands, just wide, hopeful eyes. The Blue Spirit turned and moved as fast as he could, carrying the Puppet Master. Somewhere along the way the kids left him just before he jumped onto a roof. He made his way back into the castle, and laid her on his bed, throwing off his mask as he did so. He grabbed as many tubs as he could, and hurried back to the Puppet Master's side. He tore off parts of his clothes, pressing them against her wounds. He lit up as many torches and candles as he could, needing to see as he worked.

"Spirits, please let the Puppet Master live! Please!" Zuko cried out, pressing frantically, trying to stop the blood. Minutes ticked by, Zuko listened for her breath. Listen for the breath, the healers always said. Doesn't matter how broken they are, if they're breathing, then there's a chance. Her breath ghosted his cheek as he leaned over her face.

"Zuko..." the Puppet Master croaked out, her hand reached up to touch his face. 

"Puppet Master...can you heal yourself?" Zuko sobbed out as she nodded.

"Water..." she rasped. Zuko pushed a tub toward her and helped her pull off the outer layers of her clothes, keeping only her underwrappings on. The glow from her hands as she began to trace over the worst of the wounds, sealing up the deep wounds before closing the surface. Once she was done, she slumped back.

"Thank the spirits you're alright," Zuko whispered. 

"I couldn't die before seeing your face," the Puppet Master grounded out.

"Shhh, don't wear yourself out - " Zuko murmured. The Puppet Master gestured for him to help her sit up.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," the Puppet Master said, "Also, Puppet Master? That's the best name you could've come up for me?" Her voice was clearer and Zuko felt like he just got whiplash. 

"You never spoke..."

"You're right on that," the Puppet Master said, reaching up behind her head and began to untie her mask. Zuko gasped as she released her bun, and removed the mask. Oceanic-sapphire eyes glittered in the light of the fire that Zuko had lit up.

"Katara? But...I've seen you without your hood..." Zuko said, his shock fading as he reached to touch her hair. She allowed him too, leaning her cheek into his palm.

"Hair dye, Zuko. It's amazing what a hair color change and style can do to through people off your scent." Katara said, smiling, pulling out whatever held up her hair, her dyed hair dropped in the nearly familiar warrior's hair style Zuko associated with her, minus the hair loopies.

"I thought you were dead," Zuko said, his voice shaking. Katara's smile dropped.

"I'm sorry about that, but I had a lead on the crime in this city, and I feared that I couldn't go in as my usual persona. I planned to fake my death the next time the New Ozai Society attacked." Katara began to explain. 

"Then how...?"

"I told Suki and Toph of my plan. Toph was to ensure I would get 'accidentally separated from the group', and while fighting a bunch of New Ozai Society members, I would fake my death, Toph would drop me into the earth, Suki, who would be nearby, would come in and unleash warrior's fury on them along with Toph, will make it look like I was killed in action. Of course, there was the issue of my body needing to be recovered. Toph would quickly make a stone coffin so that my body won't begin to rot too early, supposedly. While you, Sokka, and Aang would be too shocked in your grief, Toph would have carved a tunnel for me to follow to a warehouse. She and Suki would meet me there, and then they would put me through the transformation process."

"Who else knew about this?" Zuko asked, still trying to process everything.

"Gran-Gran. I feared that she would pass away while I went underground, so I told her my plan. How is she, by the way?" Katara asked.

"Still going. But there's an issue." Zuko responded.

"You mean, telling the public that I'm alive? Shouldn't be that hard, right? 'Oh hey, Master Katara, Southern Water Tribe Ambassador, isn't dead, she faked her death to follow a criminal network that the New Ozai Society was clearly using, but she's alive now!'" Katara said, her voice lowering in an attempt to imitate Zuko's voice.

"You made your death a little too believable. Your dad gave you a full on funeral, and whoever's body you used better get a proper burial." Zuko grunted.

"Of course he did. And the body Toph and Suki gave was some Northern Water Tribe woman whose family consented to the use." Katara said. "She'll be reburied in the Northern Water Tribe, hopefully her spirit won't hurt us for digging us up."

"Now that you've told me your story, I don't know whether to be impressed or angry at you for all this," Zuko grumbled. 

"Maybe sleep on it, Zuko. But if you had to know, I have all the evidence and I just needed a way to tell the world that I'm actually alive. You did that for me." Katara said, smiling. Zuko sighed, then willed the torches and candles to go out

"I'll sleep on it. Tomorrow, the world will hear about how a war hero who's been dead for two years has come back from the grave." Zuko said, making a move to leave the room. Katara chuckled.

"It won't be scandalous if a servant finds Fire Lord Zuko sleeping with a supposedly dead friend, right?" Zuko had never been more glad for the darkness. He probably was as red as his nation's flag.

"I'll let the staff know not to barge into my room. I know you don't rise with the sun." Zuko replied as evenly as he could, trying to get his face back to a normal temperature. Nothing met his last sentence, he knew that despite the night, Katara needed to rest. He smiled to himself and left the room, letting the staff know that he wasn't going to be very welcoming if anyone came into his chambers before he could step out.

Maybe morning will bring hell, or bring joy. Whichever it was, Zuko was too tired to care.

**Author's Note:**

> The prompts were as noted:  
> Pretty open to prompts, angst, romance, post-war, secret identity meeting, blue spirit and painted lady, a more mature take vs full tooth, rotting fluff  
> Do not include:  
> full on fluff, modern AU, cheating AU of any kind, no-plot stories
> 
> Fun notes:  
> I was writing it as a modern AU at first until I looked at the exclude list  
> In fact, I'm going to take inspiration for that and making another fic where neither one has no idea who is who  
> I made sure to include a more mature take, and also Painted Blue/Painted Spirit, secret identity meeting (as they do a few times) and angst  
> oh yes angst  
> slight romance? Maybe
> 
> Post writing notes:
> 
> Oops, I can't write. Sorry.


End file.
